Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-11-25
CURRENT AFFAIRS.
THE LIFE-SA VING ,SERVICE

| There Is no need OF having resort TO rO-
nance and fiction, if one would be kindled
by the narration of deeds of heroism. The
| plain black-covered reports of the life
saving service are as full of deeds of dar-
ing and pluck AS were ever invented by the
fertile brain of man Indeed, many of the
incidents there related, if told in a novel,
would be considered overdrawn and untrue
to life.
The last report shows that there were at
the beginning of this year 211 stations, di-
vided into - districts. More than one-half
of the stations are on the Atlantic coast,
3S ON the lakes, seven ON the Pacific and
one at the falls of the Ohio, Louisville, Ky.
| There were 322 disasters to vessels within
the scope Of the service last year. On
board those vessels were 272G persons of
whom only 81 were lost The service saves
| property as well as lives and, though -
vessels were totally lost yet out of the S6,
SOP, 1876 involved $j,073, ,O1S was saved
Figures alone, however, do not give any
| idea Of the difficulties with which these
men had to contend nor does the brief
record that shows the number of surfmen
who gave up their lives in trying TO save
others afford any conception Of the perils
and suiferings which they endured before
death came.
More than 300 pages are devoted in the
annual report 10 a diary of the events of
the service in the last year, from which we
Gull few facts for those who sit quietly at
home knowing little and thinking little Of
the dangers Of those who 20 down to the
sea in ships.
The violence and destructiveness of the
year exceeded the record of any former
year since the extension of the service up
on the sea and lake coasts In one storm
there were no less than 30 wrecks within
the scope Of the service and in a single
day, the 9th Of January, there were 23 1t
is not alone in saving the passengers, crew,
and cargo Of the larger vessels that this
useful department is engaged, but pleasure
yachts and small crafts of all kinds, row
boats and fishing boats again and again
come under its care In addition 10 per
sons saved from vessels, 3G were rescued
who would otherwise have been drowned
by falling from piers Hundreds Of vessels
were warned off the coast, and sought
safety in the open sea, that would have
come to destruction but for the timely
warning. Investigations showed that, in
the cases where there was loss of life in
spite of the most valiant efforts, there was
no failure Of duty on the part Of any Of
the life-saving crews. As one reads the
report Of each wreck in detail it seems
rather as though the men in many cases
did more than one could expect of common
flesh and blood. The reports are in plain.
unvarnished style, with no superfuity of
adjectives but, once in a while, the mar
rator cannot resist the use Of deserved
praise. And when a record in the diary
begins, "A gallant and heroic rescue was
this day achieved by the stout hearted life
savers Of the Shark River station, under
the intrepid leadership of pepper j. c.
Patterson, we are sure that something no.
bic and thrilling is to follow.
The record Of gratitude expressed by the
survivors is pleasant reading for one who
believes that there is yet good in the world
The pessimist would find his side also rep
resented in the story of superhuman eff
forts made to rescue three men and save
their yacht, all Of which was accomplished.
and the men made warm and comfortable
in dry clothes. Then, with )ut a word of
thanks, they secretly decamped and it
was found that they were thieves, the very
yacht which had SO nearly been their death
being part of their booty. On more than
one occasion, after Herculean efforts to
rescue men who seemed unable to help
themselves, it was found on getting them
safely to shore that they were too drunk to
even appreciate what had been done for
them. The surfmen might have been par
doned in thinking that these lives which
they had snatchcd from the sea were of
small value to the world. In many in
stances. sheer carelessness brought the
victims into these sad straits and, Of this
carelessness, nothing was more marked
than that of persons attempting to handle
sail-boats who were in the deusest ignor-
ance on the subject
There are some pathetic little touches
among the floating bits Of wreckage, on
one occasion was picked up a childs chair
What became of the little one that sat in it
that dark, stormy night when the ship went
to pieces and every soul was lost In one
instance-in the wreck of a schooner off
Nantasket in January--the captain and
most Of the crew perished with cold and
exposure during the attempts at rescue,
with salvation almost in reach. Here an
other little child was lost, together with its
mother. No wonder that the chronicler
says that their death was very affecting
The water in the cabin was waist deep
Smashing from side to side, as the vessel
lurched were broken bits Of wreck, furni-
ture, and the bodies of the colored steward
and one of the sailors, who had sucrumhed
to the terrible cold. In the midst of this
stood the mate, with his child in one arm
while with the other he supported his dy-
ing wife, who stood beside him in the lev
water, The latter, poor creature, could
not withstand such a terrible ordeal, and
before long died her parting words being
Il must leave you, ere she lost conscious
ness The child, at the sight of its poor
dead mother, clung the more closely to its
grief-stricken father, and in terror lisped
out the pathetic appeal, Papa, won't God
take us ashore = Then the little one too
died and God took it to its mother.
Two only were saved from this sad wreck
but the inspector says, "No better work
under the circumstances could have been
done than Needer and his crew did that
memorable day and when it is related
that a vessel was wrecked near the Surf
side station, and seven out of nine of her
crew perished, it will also be told that the
lifesaving crew did their whole duty"
One gets new idea of the tremendous
power of the sea in reading these accounts
of wrecks. Some notion of its destructive
force may be obtained from the statement
that, of vessel of more than 700 tons, in
less than IA hours after she struck ON the
New Jersey coast, not vestige was TO be
seen ON the shoals, She had gone entirely
iSCRlBNER'S ~ T